Tagged: life

Back to Basics: “Non”-traditional or “Alternative” Healing | A Natural Oxymoron

Ras Bobby Vending at Farmer’s Market Photo credit @AishaZakiyaBoyd

A natural healer indeed, Ras Bobby Olivacce, residing in the Virgin Islands, was born to heal. If nothing else proves it, his family lineage allowed for him to be born into healing with the use of herbs and plants as the primary source for encouraging healing and the life experiences that followed confirmed his fate to this day.

Raised in Dominica, a central Caribbean island from age of 4, most people had farms where Ras Bobby grew up and he went to their farms daily and herbs were taught to him by his family. His parents gave him herbs first thing in the morning in the form of teas for general well-being or colds and fevers.

“In 1978, a Rastafarian was the first person who spoke to me about the therapeutic uses of healing herbs.”

He travelled for a few weeks to other French Caribbean islands and on his last day, the end of the trip was Martinique. At the airport leaving, he met Dr. Sebi, a world renowned pathologist, herbalist, biochemist, and naturalist from Spanish Honduras. Someone in California had encouraged Dr. Sebi to visit Dominica.

“It was like a calling, like I just had to be doing this.”

“Meeting Sebi at 22, I was already seeing what herbs were doing,”

…experientially himself by using recommended herbs from childhood for various conditions. Within a few minutes of using the first herbs ever suggested to him by Dr. Sebi, Ras Bobby’s headache was gone. This was Dr. Sebi’s first time ever visiting so Bobby became his tour guide to Dominica. So receiving the Back to Eden book from the Rastafarian man, meeting Dr. Sebi three weeks later, then becoming his tour guide back to Dominica and experiencing the effects for himself led to Ras Bobby’s revelation that he as destined to become a healer.

According to Dr. Chenzira Davis Kahina, a Naturopathic Healer, Psychotherapist, Midwife and commonly consulted resource on natural healers, Ras Bobby’s qualifications are based on his experiential background.

“His area falls under a non-traditional or alternative medicine approach.”

She’s experienced some of his presentations, met with some of his clients/patients and witnessed the work that he’s done here in the Virgin Islands as well as in Dominica.

“He’s had a chance to learn from his family line and do the research and educational reinforcement as well as practical use of the various elixirs and herbal medicinal products that he’s produced over the years.”

Though he didn’t spend clinical hours per se in a contemporary collegiate setting going through clinical evaluative processes, “his evaluative processes were learned from what was passed down through his family lineage as well as his actual practical experiences.” He has alliances with international herbal and traditional healing organizations and learned directly from the onset of his training from noted Naturopaths including Dr. Sebi.

Bobby has successfully assisted with the healing of severe ailments including cancer, kidney stones, fibroids insulin use and others. What makes him more unique from other healers is his open and public desire to highlight and support all other healers and healing art forms. Ras Bobby has been the driving force of the highly anticipated International Healers Symposium. Held annually on St. Thomas, a major focus on September 21st, 2014 will be the use of local herbs to aid in the healing from the Chikungunya virus.

As he shared, some call him a Naturopathic Healer, Traditional Healer, “some people call me a Rasta Shaman.”

Whichever the terms, which to him are synonymous, the story of Healer Ras Bobby Olivacce, would make anyone question the need for the prefix “non” in the expression, non-traditional healer.

Yes, I know that heading is totally non-representative of my grammatical skills, yet it does let you know that I have a sense of humor and am an artist. It also let’s you know that I’m a non-conformist and a Kreative out-of-the-(What Box) thinker. Goal reached.

So… I closed my eyes, held my breath, clicked the buttons and now I’m actively an online student in Full Sail University‘s New Media Journalism program. Y’know the online school thing I was deathly afraid of doing? Yeah, well I’m doing it and it feels GRRRREAT! (I wonder if Frosted Flakes has that copyrighted?)

Don’t ask me how much it cost. A lot. How I’m paying for it? Still figuring that out and making it up as I go along… yes I did fill out the scholarship, financial aid and loan documents, but I’m determined to find ways of paying it without worrying. so far, so good.

Like this:

SMILE while CRYING
In the midst of the thunder, the lightning, the brimstone and the fire… I choose to pause, breathe and appreciate the rainbow within. Rain drops are after all, a blessing… and the shock of burning urges us to wake up, remain present, grow and heal.

Taking a moment to pause everything around me… all my unfulfilled responsibilities, all my insecurities, the weaknesses that continue to surface and smile in my face… and the painful memories that all seem to return as a gang of tormentors… I smile.

I sit still and smile, because I can. In all that has happened and all that I have experienced. I still stand and laugh and love freely and deeper than before… afraid, yet faithful that it matters more to just be than to be (too) careful.

I CHOOSE LIFE.

in the midst of what may perceptively FEEL like a thousand deaths repeated and coming to crescendo,

I CHOOSE LIFE!

in the midst of knowing the errors in my ways and the flaws in my intentions

i choose life.

inner freedom is worth bearing the invisible shackles of public ‘impression of degradation’

they will see what they want to see whether or not we look at it ourselves…

it takes a village… our music (art, goal, dream, mission) is sometimes that child.

Our greatest challenges often lead to our greatest realizations, exponential inner growth and thus, many of our greatest successes.

As I think of all the creative ideas and people who dwell in my immediate local community, I am overwhelmed with gratitude at the blessing of witnessing so many miracles of Creation.

My only hope, for us to learn to work together collectively and economically to rise ourselves even higher on a holistic level. It will take sacrificing time, commitment, growth, creativity, determination, maturity, professionalism, trust and faith.

Quote 4 2day: The most wonderful thing about going through crisis, is realizing how much learning from it helped/helps you when you’re able to use the lessons for good later on…whether to serve yourself or someone else.

Appreciative of ALL my experiences right about now; the good, the bad and especially the “ugly” life threatening ones!

No language can express abundance better than the heART can feel and share it…. but the closest thing I’ve felt to it, I feel from the chords of my acoustic guitar, the keys of my grande piano and the release of my INner voice when it is allowed to project freely.

Why stifle self healing? Why shelter self from being loved? Why not just smile, love and be loved. Could you be loved? Then be loved.

I remember the feeling I’d get from doing simple pencil and charcoal sketches or black and white photography. I could get lost in just the moment of doing and not worry so much about the end result. The same with my writing… poems inked on random napkins, Styrofoam containers, leaves or whatever else shared itself to my moments.

Knowing how easy it is to love and how much I love to love pains me sometimes when I realize I’ve stopped breathing, stopped drinking, stopped eating, stopped singing, stopped drawing, stopped running and jumping… stopped living. or just paused.

I know it was by choice. I know it was for protection. I know it was out of pain, shame, fear, feelings of failure and self neglect. I know. I accept. I allow it to be so…

I know I am love. I know I am a healer and that I must start over and continue at the same time, by healing myself.

Whether or not we believe in celebrating the man-made dates and holidays of the 12 month calendar, we can openly choose to use these experiences as placebos or springboard opportunities to remind and renew certain aspects of ourselves.